30 for 30 Fernando Nation (Season 1, Episode 27)
TV-G
TV Episode | 54 min | Documentary, Biography, History

30 for 30

Fernando Nation (Season 1, Episode 27)

TV-G

TV Episode | 54 min | Documentary, Biography, History

"The Natural is supposed to be a blue-eyed boy who teethed on a 36-ounce Louisville Slugger. He should run like the wind and throw boysenberries through brick. He should come from California." Steve Wulf, Sports Illustrated, 1981. So how ...See more"The Natural is supposed to be a blue-eyed boy who teethed on a 36-ounce Louisville Slugger. He should run like the wind and throw boysenberries through brick. He should come from California." Steve Wulf, Sports Illustrated, 1981. So how was it that a pudgy 19-year-old Mexican left-handed pitcher from a remote village in the Sonoran desert, unable to speak a word of English, could sell out stadiums across America and become a rock star overnight? In Fernando Nation, Mexican-born and Los Angeles-raised director Cruz Angeles traces the history of a community that was torn apart when Dodger Stadium was built in Chavez Ravine and then revitalized by one of the most captivating pitching phenoms baseball has ever seen. Nicknamed "El Toro" by his fans, Fernando Valenzuela ignited a fire that spread from LA to New York -- and beyond. He vaulted himself onto the prime-time stage and proved with his signature look to the heavens and killer screwball that the American dream was not reserved for those born on U.S. soil. In this layered look at the myth and the man, Cruz Angeles recalls the euphoria around Fernando's arrival and probes a phenomenon that transcended baseball for many Mexican-Americans. Fernando Valenzuela himself opens up to share his perspective on this very special time. Even 20 years later, "Fernandomania" lives. Written by ESPN Films See less

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Cast	+ Add Cast
19 cast members

Name	Known for
Mike Brito Self Self See fewer	El chácharas (1989)
Stanley M. Brooks Self (as Stan Brooks) Self (as Stan Brooks) See fewer	Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013)
Al Campanis Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Big Leaguer (1953)
Henry Cisneros Self Self See fewer	The Reagan Presidency (2012)
Oscar De La Hoya Self Self See fewer	40 Days: Canelo vs. Kovalev (2019)
Don Drysdale Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	The Greatest American Hero (1981)
Al Ferrara Self Self See fewer	Gilligan's Island (1964)
Paul Haddad Self Self See fewer	Close Up with the Hollywood Reporter (2015)
Orel Hershiser Self Self See fewer	1988 National League Championship Series (1988)
Dolores Huerta Self Self See fewer	Dolores (I) (2017)
Tommy Lasorda Self Self See fewer	Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco (1996)
Stu Nahan Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage) See fewer	Rocky III (1982)
Mike Scioscia Self Self See fewer	The Simpsons (1989)
Vin Scully Self (voice) (archive footage) Self (voice) (archive footage) See fewer	For Love of the Game (1999)
Bobby Valentine Self Self See fewer	Ballplayer: Pelotero (2011)
Fernando Valenzuela Self Self See fewer	Untitled Fernando Valenzuela Project
Johnny Carson Self (archive footage) (uncredited) Self (archive footage) (uncredited) See fewer	The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962)
Joseph McCarthy Self (archive footage) (uncredited) Self (archive footage) (uncredited) See fewer	American Forum of the Air (1950)
Ronald Reagan Self (archive footage) (uncredited) Self (archive footage) (uncredited) See fewer	Kings Row (1942)